Iraq service helped define Gabbard

A veteran of the Iraq War, newly elected Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is eager to play a key role in defense and veterans issues in the new Congress.

A Democrat from Hawaii’s 2nd District in Honolulu, she’s one of the first two female combat vets elected to Congress, having deployed to Iraq in 2004 with the Hawaii National Guard. She’ll be joined in the House by Illinois Democrat Tammy Duckworth, who lost both legs when her helicopter was attacked in Iraq.

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Committee assignments haven’t been handed out yet, but Gabbard has made it clear she wants to be a prominent voice on defense, veterans affairs and foreign policy.

“There’s no question that I will be taking a leadership role on those issues regardless of what committee I sit on, and that’s something I’m very excited to do,” Gabbard told POLITICO in an interview at the Capitol.

And as the Defense Department focuses its strategy toward Asia and the Pacific, Gabbard said lawmakers from Hawaii will be a crucial part of the pivot.

“Not only the Department of Defense, but the president, secretary of state have all stated in the past several months [that] the focus [is] on Asia and the Pacific, and Hawaii’s role in being at the forefront and kind of the focal area [of that strategy],” she said. “I look forward to being able to contribute and provide leadership as we look forward to what’s next for our country and Hawaii’s unique place in that strategy.”

At 31, Gabbard is no stranger to making history. She’s also the first Hindu elected to Congress. At 21, she was the youngest person to be elected to the Hawaii state Legislature.

Then she set her sights on the military.

“In 2003, I felt the need to do more with my life and to do more in the way of service,” she said. “I remember sitting in my office watching the Saddam Hussein statue topple [in Baghdad]. That was shortly before I enlisted. I shipped off to basic training at the end of May 2003 to Fort Jackson, S.C.”

Gabbard’s father, Mike, who serves in Hawaii’s state Senate, has been a big influence on her life.

“There was no push toward the military or politics or any specific line of work,” she said. Instead, her parents told her, “Whatever you do, do it with the heart of service and making a positive impact on other people’s lives.”

After a 12-month tour in Iraq, and then another in Kuwait, she went to work for Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii). In 2011, she was elected to the Honolulu City Council. And it wasn’t long before she was eyeing a run for Congress.